Administrative Growth Far Outpaces Iowa Public School Enrollment
(Des Moines, IA) — Despite falling enrollment in Iowa public schools, the number of administrators is growing. A Common Sense Institute report shows the number of administrators in Iowa public schools has increased by nearly 12-percent since 2014 while enrollment shrank by two percent. They say it adds 27-million dollars in annual spending, or about 400 teacher salaries. The study shows Iowa’s administrative growth is more than double the Midwest average.
Iowa Pork Producers Association: 40K Pork Tenderloins On A Stick Sold At 2026 State Fair
(Des Moines, IA) — Sales from the Iowa Pork Tent at this year’s Iowa State Fair have been released and there was a clear favorite. The Iowa Pork Producers Association says it sold more than 40-thousand pork tenderloins on a stick during the fair. That’s almost 30-thousand more than the second-best seller, the brown sugar pork belly on a stick. The association says it uses money from the Pork Tent to fund activities throughout the year.
Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery Gets Federal Grant For Expansion
(Van Meter, IA) — Iowa’s Veteran’s Cemetery is getting federal money for an expansion. A one-point-three-million dollar grant will allow the Iowa Veteran’s Cemetery in Van Meter to expand its columbarium walls. Commandant Todd Jacobus says half the veterans laid to rest at the cemetery have their remains placed in the columbarium. He adds that without the funding, the walls would have been filled in two to three years. The grant will pay for an additional 21-hundred spaces expected to be complete next year.
USS Iowa Gets New Commander
(Groton, CT) — The state’s namesake submarine has a new commander. At a ceremony in Connecticut Friday, Commander Gregory Coy turned over command of the nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Iowa to Commander Kyle Haubold. The 77-foot Virginia-class submarine was commissioned in April of last year. It’s the fourth U.S. Navy ship named for the state. The previous USS Iowa, battleship BB-61, served during World War Two and the Korean War and was recommissioned in the 1980s.
Iowa Ranks First In The Nation For High School Sports Participation
(Des Moines, IA) — A new survey shows Iowa ranks first in the nation for high school sports participation. The Iowa High School Athletic Association says the 2025-26 school year saw 145-thousand-730 kids participating in high school sports. That’s the highest participation per state population in the U.S., and also the highest overall participation in Iowa since 2008-09. The Athletic Association says it saw an increase in participation in all 11 sanctioned sports last school year.
